[Chapter
Synopsis: In this first chapter Paul greets the Ephesians
with a reminder of what God has done for us, having chosen us
from before the world began with a salvation that is now being
worked out in us, and for this he continually gives thanks for
them]
v.1-2
Greetings
v.1
(Paul, Christ's apostle
by God's will to the faithful saints in Ephesus) Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God's holy people
in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
v.
2 (receive grace and
peace from the Godhead) Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
v.3-14
The Wonders of what Christ has done for us
[Passage
Synopsis: All God's blessing come to us through Christ,
having been chosen by Him before the world began (when He saw
how we would respond to the gospel) to become His children, holy
& blameless, having been redeemed (forgiven through the work
of Christ on the Cross), and indwelt by His Spirit, all in accordance
with His pre-Creation plan]
v.3
(praise God who has blessed
us with so much in Christ) Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
v.4-6
(He chose who we would
be before the foundation of the world) For
he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy
and blameless in his sight. In love
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through
Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the
praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in
the One he loves.
v.7-10
(Christ's act on the
Cross provided redemption & forgiveness & abundant grace
for us) In
him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished
on us. (He revealed the long-held
mystery of Christ now revealed)
With all wisdom and understanding, he
made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good
pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when
the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things
in heaven and on earth under Christ.
v.11,12
(He looked into the future
and saw who would believe and said, “They're mine!”) In
him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to
the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the
purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put
our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
v.13,14
(This includes you, once
you believed and received His Holy Spirit, a guarantee to carry
us to the end) And
you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of
truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were
marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a
deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those
who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.
[Note:
For details of the ‘mystery' of Christ hidden for centuries, see
the meditation series “Focus on Christ” on the daily meditations
section of this site. There is, of course, also more about it
in Ch.3]
v.15-23
Thanksgiving and Prayer
[Passage
Synopsis: hearing how they responded to the gospel, every
time he has prayed for them he has thanked God for them, and has
asked for them to be able to know Him better by the Spirit, who
will open their eyes to the wonder of who they have become]
v.15
(it's because of this…)
For this reason,
ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your
love for all God's people,
v.16
(I thank God all the
time for you) I
have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers.
v.17
(and I keep asking Him
to give you more and more understanding of your faith in order
to know Him better) I
keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know him better.
v.18-21
(I ask that you
can see and be assured about your future [that goes on for ever]
as well as your present resources, including the power he used
to raise and exalt Christ) I
pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that
you may know the hope to which he has called
you, the riches of his glorious inheritance
in his holy people, and his incomparably great power
for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength
he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him
at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and
authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked,
not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
v.22,23
(so Christ is now ruling
at the Father's right hand in order to bless the church)
And God placed
all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything
for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way.
| Design
Criteria
1.
Divided by main sub-headings which are also listed at the
top.
2.
In this approach we have used a chapter synopsis at the
beginning to give an idea what the reader will find, and
a passage synopsis to start each section for the same reason.
3.
Each verse starts with a mini paraphrase so that then reading
the text brings quicker understanding. |